IF there’s one person truly happy with the way Arvin Tolentino reached star status at Northport, it’s no less than his former coach Tim Cone.
The Barangay Ginebra mentor felt the trade of Tolentino to Northport was the best thing that happened to the career of the 28-year-old forward who has blossomed into one of the league’s rising stars since the move two years ago.
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Not only has Tolentino finally received the playing minutes that he rarely got at Ginebra, he also became the top man for the Batang Pier in the short time he’s been with the team.
Acquired in a trade along with Prince Caperal for Jamie Malonzo, Tolentino is now the acknowledged leader of a young, athletic Northport team which he leads with an average of 24.0 points to go with 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
For the second time this season, he is also a top contender for the Best Player of the Conference award, running second behind leader Robert Bolick of NLEX.
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All these he couldn't have done had the trade not been pulled off, according to Cone.
“We weren’t doubtful about Arvin. Remember we traded Arvin for Jamie. So it wasn’t like we gave him away. Arvin has developed, we worked really hard with him when he was with Ginebra. But we’re a deep, talented team and he’s not getting the minutes that he probably needed to really blossom,” said Cone, reflecting on the trade.
“So he went over there, and he got the minutes, and he blossomed. The kid has earned it. He really, really earned it. It’s not like it’s been given to him, he’s earned it.”
Sunday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Tolentino fell short of steering Northport past Ginebra as the Kings overhauled a 10-point halftime deficit to prevail, 95-88, in their PBA Philippine Cup game.
Tolentino had a team-high 19 points along with nine rebounds, and two assists, but failed to unload bombs from beyond the arc, where he was held to 0-of-2 shooting.
Still, Cone raved about the talent and athleticism of the 6-foot-5 forward, a first-round pick of Ginebra during the 2019 draft.
“He’s getting better all the time. His game is evolving, he’s not just a spot up three point shooter, but he can get to the rim, he can post up, his defense has improved,” he said of Tolentino.
Part of the improvement, Cone credited for Tolentino being part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool and a member of the team that won the gold medal in both the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games.
“And I think a lot of that is being part of the World Cup development team was big for him as well. He got a lot of exposure there playing against really good players,” said Cone.
Lest he be censured for tampering, the Gilas Pilipinas coach said he’d rather see Tolentino be with Northport right now and continue to improve both as a leader and player.
But for sure, every other team would surely love to have Tolentino on their side.
“He’s not only a good player, he’s a good person, too. I mean he’s a good teammate and a really good person. So anybody would like to have someone like him on a team,” said Cone of Tolentino, who won two championships with him at Ginebra.
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